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How Missouri compares to other states on energy efficiency

Although it’s improved over the past year, Missouri still ranks lower than most other states when it comes to energy efficiency, according to an annual study. 

Missouri has risen three positions from the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2018 report, tying at No. 30 with Idaho and Tennessee in 2019. However, it received a score of 14.5 out of 50 — a half a point less than last year. 

“Missouri is falling in the middle of the pack right now,” Weston Berg, the ACEEE report’s lead author, told The Missouri Times. “There’s more opportunities for Missouri to move up in the future.”

Missouri was scored on six categories: utilities, transportation, building energy efficiency policies, combined heat and power, appliance standards, and state government-led initiatives. It did the best — scoring 4.5 out of a possible 6 points — in the latter. 

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The ACEEE gave Missouri a 2.5 out of 20 points in utilities, 2.5 out of 10 points in transportation, 4 out of 8 points in building energy efficiency policies, and 1 out of 3 points in transportation. It received 0 out of 3 points in appliance standards. 

The ACEEE pointed to Ameren’s five-year, multi-billion dollar Smart Energy Plan for Missouri in its assessment of the state. The plan stems from SB 564, controversial legislation signed into law last year.  

It applauded Ameren’s introduction of 15 new programs in 2019, calling it “a promising sign for future savings.” 

“Continuing to strengthen utility programs and improve efficiency in the transportation sector would help Missouri boost its score,” the report said. 

(PROVIDED/ACEEE)

The report heralded Massachusetts as the best state for energy efficiency practices, pointing to its Green Communities Act. It has topped the list for nine years in a row, according to the ACEEE. 

California, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington rounded out the top of the list respectively, with Maryland designated the “most-improved” state for 2019.

Founded in 1980, ACEE bills itself as a “catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors.”  

More on ACEEE’s annual scorecard can be found here